Regional visa approvals fall by 50% under the Coalition

By Eryk Bagshaw & David Crowe

October 9, 2018 — 7.45pm

The number of people waiting for skilled regional visas has blown out by more than 50 per cent under the Coalition and the number of people being approved has halved, as the Morrison government faces calls to explain how it will force new migrants to settle in the regions.

Population Minister Alan Tudge wants more migrants to move to regional areas.Credit:Andrew Meares

Department of Home Affairs figures cast doubt on the government’s claims that Australia’s immigration distribution, which has clogged transport and roads in Sydney and Melbourne, is the fault of the former Labor government.

The figures show non-regional skilled migration visas have risen every year under the Coalition, while those dedicated to the regions dropped from a high of 20,510 in 2012-13 to 10,198 under the Turnbull government in 2016-17.

The five consecutive years of cuts to permanent regional migrant visas coincided with a rise in the total immigration level to record highs of 180,000 a year, meaning proportionally more migrants were arriving on non-regional skilled visas under the Coalition.

Advertisement

Population Minister Alan Tudge announced Tuesday new migrants will be forced to live outside the nation's most populous cities for several years in a bid to ease congestion.

Mr Tudge has not outlined how it would be enforced, what conditions would be implemented, or how long the restrictions would last. He told voters the detail would come within months.

Regional problems.Credit:Matt Golding

Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and a recipient of the Public Service Medal, said visas to encourage regional migration were nothing new but the numbers under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme had clearly fallen in recent years.

“The challenge for government is to stimulate greater demand for these or similar new visas without excessively reducing selection standards which may reduce the migrants’ chances of getting a skilled job,” he told Fairfax Media.

“This challenge will be even greater if government wants to increase the length of time the skilled migrants must live in a regional area or small city from the current requirements.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison dismissed concerns about the constitutionality of the government’s proposal on Tuesday, arguing a guarantee of freedom of movement between and within states applied to permanent migrants, not those on temporary work visas.

There were 160,000 temporary work visas holders in Australia in 2016-17, the latest year for which data is available.

“You have no powers under the migration program to direct permanent migrants to live anywhere in the country but for those on temporary visas, non-permanent visas, the powers the Commonwealth has are very different,” he said.

There are also 328,000 international students studying in Australia, leaving the university sector exposed to the international market to maintain its funding.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison meets with residents and business owners during a walk through Hurstville.Credit:AAP

Mr Morrison said in September he could stem the flow of students to Sydney and Melbourne, while encouraging them to go to other states such as Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

But he suggested on Tuesday any use of that lever would have to be measured

“We would have to be very careful when it comes to the education industry,” he said.

Another option revealed by Fairfax Media in August is to develop migration agreements governed by local councils for proven labour shortages.

Fairfax Media understands a whole-of-government policy is still being developed and is yet to go to a full meeting of cabinet for final approval.

Lawyers in Western Australia and South Australia say the states are crying out for more workers.

"If there is a push for people to live in regional areas why has there been such a high refusal rate?" said Daniel Estrin, a partner at WA's largest immigration law firm Estrin-Saul.

"It seems to be diametrically opposed to the purpose they are trying to espouse."

Perth was eligible for the sponsored regional visa until this year. Mr Estrin said his clients had applied for a regional visa only to have a processing time of 20 months, before being told to go to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal where waiting times stretched to 400 days.

Home Affairs figures show the pipeline for people waiting for a decision on their regional visa was 18,341 persons in June 2017, an increase of 53.2 per cent (6369 persons) compared to June 2016.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union national secretary Bob Nanva said the policy was a pitch to right-wing populists.

“For decades, governments at both state and federal level have failed to invest in urban public transport infrastructure," he said.

“Instead, all we get are these half-baked plans to push new migrants to areas where there have no job opportunities, no family or community support networks, and little access to the services they need.”